


A Nightmare Living The Dream

by Hiddenchaser



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, High Chaos Emily Kaldwin, Low Chaos Corvo Attano, Torture, coldridge prison
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-04 00:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiddenchaser/pseuds/Hiddenchaser
Summary: The Coup that removed Emily from the throne, is now in control. Without a way to escape, Emily Kaldwin is in a tight situation as she tries to reclaim the throne once more. However, in a fevered attempted to escape through her window, she is captured by the very ones that have overthrown her. Now, she trap with the very woman she hates as she tries to gain control while remaining in captivity. Emily must work quick in order to avoid being placed on trial for the Crown Killer murders and to save Corvo. However, time is ticking and Emily is soon to find herself in Coldridge Prison.(A look as to what would happened if Emily is unable to escape Dunwall Tower in the beginning Dishonored 2.)





	1. Taking Crowns

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for giving this story a shot. I hope you all enjoy it. I will be updating this story once per week and will try to keep it at a good length per chapter. Leaving a Kudo or a comment is always appreciated.

A lost crown always looks more bitter on the head of someone else. To Emily the shine loses it’s glow and everything around the new Empress looks dead. It is almost as if every living soul has been sucked out of the tower the moment Delilah Copperspoon waltzed into the palace. Her cocky sway of the hips and pointed fingers angered Emily to no end. No one is to disrespect her. She is-was the Empress. Yet, even with so many loyal people by her side, there were so many more willing to betray her at the first opportunity. Unfortunately for her, that was exactly what happened to her. Within minutes, on her mother’s passing anniversary no less, everything was taken from Emily. Her father, throne, pride, and trust. In seconds it all melted away by that witch, Delilah.  


Delilah dared to enter into Emily’s territory and claim it all for her own. The event occurred so quickly that Emily was left in stunned at just the thought of her actually having another living relative. When the word “aunt” left Delilah’s lips, Emily found herself floored but willing to allow the estranged woman into her home. It was the only polite offer she could think of for such odd circumstance. After all, family should always be together. However, Delilah was far from interested with connecting with family. She had bigger goals. When Delilah looked at Emily on the throne she paid no mind to her niece. Instead, her eyes focused solely on the throne. The cool chair that could easily turn any man into a God. Every command and order is obeyed so long as you are the one sitting on the throne. Delilah has craved that chair for so many years. Not just for the sake of having power but to take what was hers. That throne belonged to her, not her bastard of a niece. Sure, it is easy for her to judge Emily for being a child born out of wedlock because so was she. Delilah was the first born from the Emperor himself. Yet, her half sister Jessamine was promised it all. A future, royalty, and the throne. Jessamine should have never taken all that power for it belonged to Delilah, but she did. Everything was taken and in turn passed onto Emily. So they stood against each other for a short while as the coup began. As Delilah had planned, it occurred smoothly. Her allies were swift and her strength was no match for Emily. The young Empress was soon knocked to the ground with ease and dragged up to her chambers, where the key to the hidden escape route was taken from her. This was Delilah's victory and she was going to enjoy every moment of it. 

Now Emily stands in her chambers, trapped and tried from the events that have unfolded. However, she needs a plan to escape or else she will leave herself exposed to great danger. Quickly, Emily goes to the door of the room and peaks out with the large keyhole. Guards move about the hallways. They move about easily despite Emily hearing screams of terrors from down the hallway. By the sound of it some people are still resisting the coup and are unfortunately failing to stop it. From the keyhole, Emily is disturbed by how calm everyone looks. The guards do not seem fazed at all the sound of people dying down the hallway nor do they even look like they care. To them this was just another day at work. As much as Emily wishes to concern herself with the other people in the tower, she knows it would be unwise to try and get attention on herself by trying to bash through the door. Even if she wanted to do that as a plan, it would be impossible to do is. With the door now lock, and the door thick as wood, the chamber door would stay up strong against her normal strength. 

Emily pulls away from the door. She lets out an annoyed huff of air as she looks about her chambers. Everything looks normal in there despite the chaos in the other side of the door. Papers sit nicely at her desk as an old clock ticks quietly in the background. It makes her anxious though. Every second that passes reminds her that she is running out of time to come with a plan. She breathes in slowly to try and steady her nerve. Now is the time that she needs to remain collect. If she is to regain control of the situation she will need to use her head. Quickly, Emily looks around the room for anything of use. Her dark brown eyes dart about and land immediately at a window. Of course! A window. They were so quick to dump Emily into the room that they never bothered to ensure the windows would be locked. A surge of hope rushes through Emily and she makes her way towards the window. She gently pushes it open and the window slides open with ease. Though it would be understandable as to why the windows were never looked at. The room was far from being on the first floor and looking down from out the window, Emily sees the crashing waves of water hitting up against the tower. Jagged rocks can barely be seen from way up high as the tides force the water to shift and move. The sight is honestly intimidating. 

“Don’t got much of a choice,” Emily mumbles to herself. Moving slowly, but carefully, Emily slides out of the window. A harsh wind of salt air hits her the moment she stands at the ledge of the building. She finds herself grateful for not having much of a fear of heights but the sight of the fall is still highly intimidating to her. She just needs to treat this as one of her training exercises with Corvo. The crashing waves break her train of thought as she reminds herself that it would be unwise of her to stay in such a dangerous position. Shuffling her feet, Emily does a balancing act on the thin ledge. Every step is taken with precaution as her hand glides against the stone cold building. Luckily, the window for the next room over, the royal bedroom, was also unlock. 

Entering, Emily catches sight of bodies around the room. Nearly every one of them she recognizes as being one of her loyal servants. It is a bitter thought that earlier in the day they were all alive and ready for another day of work. Their blood now stains the carpets and sooner or later their bodies will be disposed of in an uncaring manner. Who knows? They might even blame Emily Kaldwin for their deaths too since they seem keen on framing her already for the Crown Killer murders. All this is just more mess for her to clean up. With a heavy sigh, Emily steadies her footing but feels her world shake once more when recognizing one of the bodies on the ground. Alexi. The poor woman never saw the blade coming. Emily was in a foggy daze when she was dragged off away from the throne, but she remembered the young Captain taking the blade right to the gut. A twitch of the finger startles her. Alexi is still alive, just barely. Emily quickly goes up to the dying woman as they exchanged quick words with each other, but within seconds, she too ends up like one of the many cold lifeless bodies on the ground. As Alexi lays against the wall, bleeding from Corvo’s sword. Death has always played a part in the kingdom, Emily recognizes that. Yet, she never thought it would ever be so personal to her. Too many in her have already died and she’s only at the early age of 25. It’s nothing to really be proud of. It makes her heart heavy as she glances to the floor. In the mix of blood her father’s sword lays on the ground. It is tempting her to pick it up. Emily wonders briefly how easily she could solve many of her issues with just a swing of a sword. Though it is not the way Corvo taught her. Her father took precaution in cutting down other lives and actually kept it to a minimum. He only killed when absolutely no other options were left. It is respectable to Emily and because of that she tries to follow the same way of thinking. Though looking at the trail of destruction that was gained through their peaceful actions, Emily is starting to wonder if it is actually worth it. Peaceful seems to be lacking any benefits at the moment. It is why Emily grabs onto the sword tightly. It feels right. The blood covering doesn’t have to be from the ones she considers allies. She could always restrain it with the blood of her enemies. To exact revenge on them all sounds perfect right now. They don’t deserve to live. Emily holds onto the blade for her dear life as she gets up from the ground. Now armed once more, she should be able to defend herself. Yet, a loud thud of a footstep catches her attention. A guard happens to be passing by and quickly catches sight of the escaped former Empress. There is a split second where their eyes stayed glued to each other right before Emily raises up her sword in a ready position.

 

“You there! How did you get here,” he yells out to her. Emily doesn’t respond. Instead she tries to keep her mind calm. This is what her training has led to. This is not a training exercise nor a game. They both recognize this but instead of the guard reaching for his sword. His hand snatches onto a small pocket on the side of his uniform. Emily charges forward with the blade. Within a second the space between them is closed and right when Emily is inches away from the guard, a light reflection shines in his hand. Out of the pocket comes a needle. One that Emily is sure of Corvo using many times. A sleep dart designed knock out a dangerous beast in seconds. She instantly regrets being so close now and falters in her attack. Her moment of hesitation is long enough for the guard to lung the needle into Emily. It pokes through her layers of clothes as it punctures her arm. Despite her pulling away quickly, a rush of dizziness sticks her even as panic sets in the back of her mind. A full thought is not able to be formed as her eyes start to see stars. Her legs instantly starts to buckle under her as Emily tries to not lose her grip on her sword. The guard takes this moment of weakness and shoves Emily to the ground. Already feeling off balance, it is enough to send Emily tumbling to the floor. She wants to get up. She knows she needs to. Yet, it feels so much more comfortable laying there as the sleep drug quickly sets in, knocking her out. 

Emily is unsure how long she was unconscious. What she does know is that she reawakens with much anxiety and adrenaline. From her last memories, she knows she’s in danger. So her eyes shoot open to take in her surroundings. To her surprise she is only back in the chambers. She has been sloppily places on the fine couch in the room. The place is much dimmer now, indicating that a few hours might have passed as the natural lighting is almost non existent. Emily struggles to sit up but she recognizes there are three guards scattered about in the room. All of them quickly look towards Emily once noticing she is no longer sleeping.

“She’s awake,” one guard states boredly. 

“About time. I thought we might have killed her. The Empress would have been furious with us.” Another one replies as he starts to stretch. He looks as if he was lounging about before she had awoken. Despite her instincts of danger kicking in, Emily looks around slowly. Her head is feeling foggy and everything looks almost slowed down to her. Shakily, Emily gets herself up properly up against the couch as the guards all approach her. She reaches for the blade on her side to only realize it is not there. They must have confiscated it. The guards catches the action and one snarls at her while standing in front of her. 

“Oh, look at what she’s trying to do fellas? She think we’d leave her armed.” A round of laughters leave them. Emily frowns at them and she meets the eyes of one of the guards. His look hardens and he reaches forward and snatches the front of her coat. 

“What’re you looking at? Don’t give me pissed off look like that! You’re an absolute nobody now,” he nearly yells in her face. In anger, Emily tries shoving him away from her but only angers the guard even more. He stays firmly placed in his spot and tightens his grip on her coat before throwing her to the group. The action is sudden. She barely catches herself before completely tumbling to the floor. The other guards are done laughing now but do look annoyed at the attempt of aggression from Emily.  
“You killed so many people and thought you could actually get away with it?!” One of the guard express. “Good thing Empress Delilah stepped in. Who knows how many more you woulda killed for your own political gain?”  
Emily slowly gets to her feet as the three guards surround her. All of them bigger and stronger than her.

“The Crown Killer murders were not done by me nor my father,” Emily defends bitterly. 

One of the guards rolls his eyes, not believing her. “Good luck proving that to the judge on your court date. I’m sure they’ll believe you despite all the damning evidence on you,” another one mocks. 

“You had some good people killed,” the one on her right starts. “and for what? To ensure no one disagrees with you? You already had so much power. Typical of you royals to be doing this while my kids are out their, sick with the plague!” Emily can see the anger in the guard’s eyes. She would have honestly taken responsibility if she even did play a part in the killings but this is all out of her hands. All Emily could do while on the throne was to try and lessen the plague effects and victims. With limited resources and greedy nobles, Emily only has so much command without angering her rich supporters. Losing them would easily result in her losing funding and donations from them. However, they always wanted something in return. Power, land, and sketchy promises that Emily felt uncomfortable agreeing to. Despite being Empress, it does not always come with complete power so long as you play the game fair. Unfortunately for her, she’s been playing the game fair the entire time. They do not understand the choices an Empress has to make at times, and sometimes Emily wonders if she’s always made the right call for her people. Yet, no matter what she says she knows that it will not help her now. Right now, she has three angry guards around her. The only thing she could try and do now is try and defuse the situation, as her father always suggested. Try a peaceful route. It always seems to fail her but Corvo always insisted on doing things that way. Maybe she is just doing it wrong. 

“I’m sorry to hear that about your children, but do you really think Delilah on the throne is going to help in the plague? She is clearly just trying to get power. She does not care about the people,” Emily responds.

The same guard scuffs. “She’s already made many promises to have you fancy rich folks cough up more money for us little guys. It sounds to me she is focusing on helping people and not just trying to make sure her political opponents are dead.”  
Emily shakes her head. “What are you talking about? She is threatening to put charges on me so that way she could keep the throne.”

“That is because you committed a crime!” The guard directly in front her responds instead. “And just like every criminal, you are going to pay.”

Emily frowns at the man and tightens her fist. She’s tired of this game. At this rate she is going nowhere and there is no point arguing with lowly guards. They have already made up their minds on who’s side they’re on. Reasoning with them is just a waste of her time. Corvo was wrong. Not everything could be solved through peace. A guard smiles at her when seeing her fist. 

“What are you going to do about it then?” The same guard asks.There is a quick moment where there is silence. Emily stares the guard down with her fist still clenching and knuckles turning more pale. Exhaling, she loosens her fist and relaxes her muscles. Corvo has instilled too much into her and it shows. “That’s what I thought,” he replies. He shakes his head and quickly raises his own fist up. She doesn’t see it at first, but the punch is thrown at Emily from one of the guards. It too fast for her to dodge. She does not even have time to blink before the punch lands a solid hit on her face. Minor blood sprays as her teeth collide with her lip, busting it open. The force is enough to, once more, go tumbling to the ground. The shock wave of pain hurts, but probably not as much as the soft laughter coming from one of the guards. It sends a wave of anger through Emily as she quickly tries to get up to her feet once more. However, she is shoved back down to the ground once more by one of the guards. Most of them laugh now except for one guard who tries to keep a straight face. Though an amused smile is there, Emily notices when she glances up.

Before she could say anything, a shadow emerges from the hallway. With the door still crept open, and the candles lighting up the hallway, the slim shadow eats up the room. The laughing stops instantly. The figure enters the room with such high confidence and Emily takes the opportunity to stand up. No one stop her this time as the guards take the moment to bow to their new ruler entering. Delilah walks slowly into the room, followed by two more guard accompany her. They do not enter far into the room however as they stay close to the door and wait. Delilah looks about the room, almost ignoring Emily was there too. Delilah gives a thoughtful hum as she studies every every inch of her new prize. The drapes hangs firmly from the rod it is attached to as gold threading outlining shines against Delilah’s eyes. The little light in the room aid in the glow and Emily would be lying if she said she was not intimidated for a split second. Though she keeps a strong expression as Delilah turns to her. All the guards give a quick and deep bow once more when Delilah gets close. 

“Hello, my dear niece. I’m so glad to see you are looking well-oh!” She rinses her hand up to Emily’s busted lip. Dried blood covers the area and it swells minorly. It does not look serious at all but enough to still be noticeable. Emily can feel Delilah’s grip tighten ever so more by each passing second. “Your poor lip is busted. I’m sure it will heal quickly,” Delilah states mockingly. Emily can see the false motherly instincts and it is hard for her not to jerk her head away. She doesn’t like being touched without granting someone permission to do so. Yet, she understands the shift in power and that she is on the losing side of it. There is not much she could do, besides return a heavy glare back. Her brown eyes almost look black by the heavy look she gives. Delilah ignores the look. Instead, she only tightens her grip on Emily’s face as if she is trying to prevent her from even moving in the first place. Delilah chuckles softly. “But we both know that pretty face of yours could have saved some damage if you were not so hostile.” 

Emily lets out an annoyed huff as she pulls away roughly. Delilah loosens her grip enough to allow her to slip out of her grasp. However, her nails are sharp and far too pointed. They scrape against Emily’s face from the action and leave and small stinging pain. Minor scratch marks are left on Emily’s chin and check and it is enough to make her wince. The red markings should fade in a few seconds but the amused look on Delilah's face won’t leave anytime soon. “My, my. For a former Empress, you have far too much…” Delilah paused to search for the right word. She then points back at Emily. “...rudeness.” 

Emily could feel the glares coming from the guards. Though they only remain standing close by, ready to jump at any wrong move Emily makes.

“You don’t deserve the throne and you know it,” Emily counters quickly as she points accusingly to the other woman. She has the right to be upset. She was born for this and this woman took it from her. It sickens Emily to no end. She’s been through far too much to allow some bitter old woman to take what belongs to her. It is her throne.

“Do you genuinely believe that?” A dark look from Delilah does not escape Emily’s gaze. She is almost lost for words when Delilah takes one step closer to her. The young woman knows better than to step down and instead raises her head up to try and meet her aunt’s eyes. “Do you, of all people, think that the throne belongs to you? Ha...you are like your mother. You take and take, but it is always someone else’s possessions that you take from. I was the first born, not your mother. If out of the two of us, you are the less deserving of the leadership,” Delilah comments darkly before relaxing. A smirk enters her face as she stares Emily down. The younger of the two keeps a blank face. Truth be told, Emily does not know how to respond back to the allegation than to remind that the only difference is that Jessamine was at least not a bastard child like Delilah. However, before Emily could make such a remark, Delilah takes a step back. “But do not worry, my little niece. I’m sure we could find some suitable work for you here. You might even like your place after a while...that is if you behave.”

Emily sneers in response immediately, but it only makes Delilah smile even wider as she turns her back to Emily. Her clothes gracefully float in the wind with such confidence. It’s tempting to Emily to reach out and attack the woman. She would admit it would give her much satisfaction to do so. However, a list of many consequences goes rushing through her head. She could only imagine her own reaction if someone would do the same to her. Assaulting an Empress could easily result in the death sentence or some other high, and painful, punishment. Emily might not view her aunt as the ruler but reality is that Delilah is pulling the strings right now. She is enjoying her place on the throne and Emily understands that the instant gratification will quickly result in regret. She needs to play this game right. If Emily wants to save Corvo and recover her place as the Empress, she will need to strike at the right moment. As Delilah walks away, she gives one final look back to Emily. An amused expression clings to her face as her slick hair reflects the candle light. Emily keeps an unamused face as she grinds her teeth together. 

“It was nice having a word or two with you, my little sparrow. I do believe though you must be going. I don’t wish to keep you from your ride to Coldridge prison. I will be sure to visit though.” She gives a light laugh for a second. “Oh, and if I were you, I would quickly start cooperating. I hear murderers are not let off lightly here. It would be a shame if you were executed for all those poor souls you killed.” Delilah turns her back once more as the guards next to her quickly grab onto Emily’s arms. Their grip is tight and her heart is starting to race. Delilah walks out of the room happily as a few seconds later, they start dragging Emily out of the room too. 

“Get moving,” one commands. Emily complies numbly. Her legs move slowly as to somehow prevent this all from happening. Her mind is still trying to process all that has happened. She really lost the throne and the bitterness is not lightening up. If anything it is making her motivated to make them all pay.


	2. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily Kaldwin finds herself trap in Coldridge Prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m going to try and have this up every Friday. Maybe sooner if I can dish it out fast enough, but I am busy with work so once a week is all I can do at the moment.

The long walk to Coldridge Prison was hard for Emily. By the time they got moving to take her there, the night sky was already up and most of the people in Dunwalla were sleeping. It seemed like the perfect time to move an important person, such as Emily Kaldwin. Very few people are lurking around such an odd hour. Despite the calmness now, Emily can not help but to feel rushing anxiety as she is transported to Coldridge, just a few feet away from the home she has always known.To her disappointment, they arrive to Coldridge without anyone interfering and she is immediately taken inside. In her youth she was never allowed to enter such a place. It was considered beneath them and dangerous to visit Coldridge. The only other times Emily has ever entered the place was maybe two years ago when the prison was nearly begging for more funding. They offered the young Empress a tour at the time, and not wanting to be doing paperwork that day, Emily had agreed to it. The tour was less than an hour and was mostly her being taken to offices and maintenance areas. At the time she was not shown the prisoners nor highly controversial areas such as the execution yard or the interrogation room. No, at the time it was just a simple tour that was followed by a short presentation. It didn't take long before Emily was bored of the place and simply agreed to granting the prison a couple of thousand coins more just so she could leave the place. At the time Corvo was there and also eager to leave. Emily had known of Corvo being locked there for her mother’s death. Even after she insisted for him to not attend the tour, Corvo denied the command as he felt obligated to go to keep a safe eye on Emily. His protective nature concerned Emily only because she understood how hard it must have been for Corvo to return to such a place.  


Yet, like father like daughter, Emily finds herself in the prison. This time she is not a guest and she can not simply walk out. Emily finds herself now registered as one of the inmates there. Despite her being in complete disbelief, that does not stop her from getting placed in a cell, in the first floor in a cell block she doesn’t even know. She is locked up as if she is common street gang member.  


Her cell is not special nor welcoming either. The walls are dirty even though a white coat of paint covers it. The place has a foul odor about it’s she is sure that many of the prisoners, and some of the guards, has not showered in days. Rats scurry about as if it their home as they inch closer to Emily to see their new guest. The worst part is the cell she is locked in. It is small with nothing it. Concrete walls surround her and forces the place to feel more cold than what it actually is.  
In her first night, Emily can not sleep. The only resting spot she has is a concrete slab on the side that is supposed to be her bed. A thin, small cloth comes with it and it is not nearly thick enough to provide cushion against the hard concrete. She tries to use the cloth at first as a blanket, then as a pillow (since they never bothered to give her one), and then she moved it once more to lay on it.  


She keeps tossing and turning due to the lack of comfort. Going from the best sleeping quarters to a dingy prison cell is far too much of a drastic change for her. The running of rats in her cell does not help as sometimes they get too curious and try climbing on her in the night. It is all bothersome to say the least. So she gets up several times throughout the night to either pace in her cell or to sit tiredly on her new bed. It is not until the very early hours in the morning, just when the sun starts to rise, that she falls asleep. However, she is awaken about two hours later by the sound of a guard yelling. The words do not make much sense since the voice does not sound directly in front of her cell. Though she is still annoyed known the less. For a split second Emily thought she was still in the palace and was ready to scold the guard for disturbing her sleep. Just as she was about to complain, she remembers everything. The coup. Delilah. Her father. Getting caught. The rush of memories eat her up and instantly she is sadden at her predicament. Emily looks up from her cell as she sees two guards dragging another prisoner out their cell.  


It is a way older man that is being transported. To where? She doesn’t know. Though by his aged face and small frame, the man looks like he couldn’t hurt a fly. So after Emily rubs her tired eyes, and drags herself to the bars of her cell, she catches sight of one of the taller guards punching the man in the stomach. There was no sign of hostility from the older inmate, and by the guards laughter, they were just doing this for fun. The rough handling is disappointing to say the least. Emily watches quietly in her cell as the other guard walks up to his coworker to make sure the older prisoner wouldn’t try anything. Though by looking at him up and down, Emily is more than sure this guy would probably fall over even if someone just breathes on him. He is skinny and dirty, with graying hair sticking to his skin. To Emily he looks like many of the people trapped in poverty, and by his aged eyes, he is probably too old to keep a proper job. The fact that he is literally being pushed around, disappoints her. There is no doubt in her mind that the guards are not suddenly abusing their power because Emily lost the throne. No. She understands that this might have always been an issue. Emily would be lying to herself if she said she knew every problem that was going on in her land, but to see the misuse of power first hand is sickening. She wants to cut those guards up and watch the life drain slowly from their eyes. This treatment is cruel and Emily is more than sure that they’d be begging for mercy once her gets her throne back. She’d make them pay.  


One of the guards holds tightly to the man as the other one takes out a baton and swings it right towards the man’s legs. The cracking of bones ring throughout the holding block. Emily flinches at the sight but does not look away. The older man cries out in pain as his knees buckle under the attack. Yet, it only prompts them to strike at him once more. She is not disgusted by the sight but instead angered by it.  


“Hey! What are you doing to him? Leave that man alone,” Emily calls out from her cell.  


The sadistic smiles on the guard’s faces turn sour immediately upon hearing those words. The thinner of the two guards makes his way towards Emily and plants himself right in front of her cell. Emily remains standing tall. “You be quiet in there. This is none of your business. Just like you, he be a criminal. You are all property of the state now. Don’t cause trouble and you wouldn’t need to worry about getting a good beating,” he comments with a hint of laughter in his voice. This is all a game to him, but she is more than sure if she played a similar game with them, they’d all be crying for it to stop. “Now just go sit down and be quiet, Ms. Emily.”  


The prison guard turns his back on her right as she called out to him. “And if I don’t,” Emily questions.  


He stops instantly and slowly turns back towards her. “If I was anyone else, you’d be in the stocks by now. Go ahead. Keep running your mouth. You’ll start behaving soon. After all, Empress Delilah’s got plans for you soon. You wouldn’t want her to hear you’ve been acting up here, would you?”  


To Emily’s surprise, the guard turns away once again despite those threatening words leave his lips. Emily has no doubt that many are eager to get to her and blame her for much of their personal troubles. Yet, as she opens her mouth again, she can see the prisoner shaking his head at her, not wanting her to say anything else in his defense. It will probably only cause him more pain.  


She feels hopeless and now lost for words. They return back to the older man as they start to drag him out of her sight. Hours pass with nothing for her to do. It’s all just a waiting game for her. Every once in a while, when the guards would do a shift change, they would stop by her cell to see if Emily Kaldwin was actually imprisoned. It’s not every day they get to see a former Empress locked in a cell. Many do not say anything to her. They just look in and give a surprised hum everytime and then walk away. Some are braver and try to hold a conversation with her. Most ask if she really did have a role in the murders. She denies it every time even when they look at her in disbelief. Emily is unsure if they ask out of curiosity or if they are trying to get a simple confession. 

Though she is sure that if they wanted a confession from her they would have surely taken her to the interrogation room. Even though it is just her first official day locked up, they haven’t made any comments about interrogating her. It is only a matter of time, however. Emily is fully aware that they are trying to make it appear that she, or Corvo, is the Crown Killer. With Corvo also “imprisoned”, and always being the less aggressive of the two, it is much simpler now for Emily to take the blame. All they would need to make things more simple is to get her to admit to the crime. As much as Emily would hate to admit it but everything is stacked against her. An actual killer is out there and there is no way of her to go out and uncover this mystery.  
As Emily ponders over this, a gentle cough from the cell over breaks her thought. Soon, a hand holding up a broken, dirty piece of mirror is visible right next to her cell. The reflection of a middle aged man shines off of the mirror. He moves the mirror around to let the reflection show her. Emily raised her eyebrow before making her way closer to the bars to see what her neighbor wants. A cough once more leaves him as Emily can spot messy brown hair under a hat just by the dirty reflection. “You really Empress 

Emily Kaldwin,” the other prisoner asks.  


Emily hesitates for a split second but came to a fair response. “I was.”  


A thoughtful hum leaves the man right away. His arm remains stretched out with the mirror so that way they both can still see each other. His face is covered in grime and dirt but Emily could still see the sadden expression entering his face. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. Even locked up here we heard all that commotion out there. I heard a lot of good people got killed. If it makes you feel any better, I believe you’re innocent, your majesty.”  
Even as she felt angry all day, the fact that someone believes her, brings some form of comfort. She can’t be mad right now. “I appreciate that. Though I’m unsure what my future holds. No one ever really plans for a coup.”  


“Just keep your head up, your majesty. No good feeling bad all the time,” he states.  


“I suppose,” Emily replies. She pauses for a second. “Sooo, what did you do to be here?”  


“I stole some food,” he answers.  


Emily tilts her head at the response. She leans against the cool bars to try and get a better look at him. “That it?” It seems like such a petty crime that she’s surprise they even locked him. A simple fee or two hours in the stocks would have sufficed.  


“No offense, but your City Watch folk jump down our throat the moment we step out of line,” he explains carefully.  


“Do you know when you are getting out of here,” Emily asks mostly just to keep conversing. There’s nothing else to do here. At least talking to someone, other than a guard, is more entertaining. Other than this she’d just be sitting around worrying about what’s going to happen to her.  


“To be frank with you, your majesty, no one ever really knows. They just lock you up and sometimes when they need the space for bigger crooks, then they might release us little guys. The last gentleman in there was arrested for punching a City Watch guard after he had too many to drink. He was here for a good year. Though they needed a cell for you. So I suppose they picked him by random.”  


“They let him go?”  
There is a moment of hesitation. From the reflection of the tiny mirror she can see him frown softly. “No, your majesty. They made him visit the execution yard.”  


“Oh.” She’s lost for words and her awkward response does not help.  


“No offense, your majesty but we have much problems here in Dunwall. Plenty of them existed before you lost that fancy chair of yours,” he replies carefully as he pulls the mirror back into his cell. Emily is lost for words for a moment. It would be easy for her to reply with a snarky answer. These people don’t understand. They don’t know how hard it is to rule over so many people. It’s hard to be perfect with so much power. Everyone criticizes her but none of them have ever sat on that throne. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she gets up and moves to the back part of her cell.  


Emily leans against the stone wall. Right now she feels pretty alone in this world and she currently has no proper plan in motion. Emily has come up with a few thoughts here and there. Some are outrageous and others might be doable under the perfect circumstances. She remembers back on Corvo’s story telling of his own escape from Coldridge. Help from an outside source was his ticket out along with his skills. She has the skills but lacks any aid that she knows of. Emily knows she must have some supporters out there and sadly a good number of them got cut down at her own event. It doesn’t help that many were opposing her rule due to her not taking the title seriously enough. Emily would be the first to admit that her first few years left a bad example of leadership. Always throwing her responsibilities to the side left much disapproval by many of the Lords under her. Yet, even then people only started getting more agitated when the Crown Killer came about. Now the public feels like they can not say one negative word unless they want to risk getting slaughtered. She was viewed as a careless leader at first but now they think she’s a murderer. Those are two completely different things.  
Emily sighs at the thought. It is looking very poorly for her. She just needs to be patient and wait. Follow Corvo’s teachings and strike when the moment shows itself. Emily is in deep thought as the shuffling of footsteps soon get her attention. A guard, pushing along a cart filled with plates of bread stops for a moment in front of her cell. A small latch on the side her cell is opened as the young guard slides a plate into her cell before quickly shutting it.  


“Dinner time. A meal fit for the Empress herself,” the guard jokes. The singular half loaf of bread is sitting on the plate. It looks far from appealing but does not look hideous. It’s just bread.  


“Gee. Just what I wanted,” Emily comments while she walks to the bars to pick up her food.  


The guard shrugs his shoulders. “I didn’t give you a piece with mold on it. I think that was kind of me.” With that final comment the guard walks away from her sight. Emily picks up the food and starts to eat it at her bed. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she took her first bite. As much as she would hate to admit it but she’s desperately hungry. She’s been here for almost 24 hours now and all she’s had to eat so far is this bread. Her stomach growls more and more even as she eats. The bread is stale and flavorless. However, it is all she has right now, and Emily understands she needs to take everything she could get. She eats it all in less than five minutes and she’s still hungry at the end of her “meal”. Bread isn’t enough but at least she won’t starve for now. Though Emily knows she can not stay like this. This place is dooming her to failure. She needs to get out. She needs to come up with a plan to escape and quick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your time!


	3. Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got very ill last week and was just completely out. That was why there was no update. Though I am doing a lot better and got this out for this week. Hope you enjoy.

How does one keep their sanity in a place such as this? With nothing to do but go over your own thoughts time and time again. It can easily eat up anybody’s sanity. Maybe that would explain why Dunwall has a prison issue. Most people enter with only petty crimes but tend to leave the place a bit rougher. In a way, Emily could see why. The place is far from glamorous. It is cold most of the time and her neighbor is far too chatty. Far too many questions are asked and frankly she does not want to talk very much. Maybe part of it is her pride. Ever since arriving, three days ago, Emily finds herself more and more bothered at the idea of her capture. It eats at her and only fuels her anger by every passing day. 

Though having someone to chat with is far more interesting than doing nothing all day. So she deals with it. Though conversations tend to be about nothingness. They are mostly about a few light topics that eventually switch over to political. Once the conversation starts turning political, Emily tends to drop out of the conversation. It seems everyone's a critic. Even the common locked up criminal seem to have “better” ideas than her and want to “make friendly” suggestions on how to run an Empire. These people do not understand. They could not possibly understand the pressure it is to rule over so many people. Emily has always been under the lens. People would watch her every move. Every word she said would be read into and evaluated for weeks. If she took one night to relax and chat with friends then she was criticized for not doing her duties as ruler despite her still being young. It is like she not allowed to enjoy the benefits of life and instead she is always expected to work, work, and work. Some might argue that her job is not that hard. She does after all have advisers, supporters, and a parliament. So, how could one person still anger so many? It’s a question that Emily asks herself continuously. 

Within a few minutes after waking up from her previous night’s sleep, two guards come to her cell without much of a word. One being a female and the other a male. To her surprise they open up her cell and demand she follow them. The idea of sprinting out and escaping crosses her mind quickly. However, Emily knows the chances of that plan going well is slim. Armed guards and the plethora amount of security is a daunting sight. The idea of snatching one of the guard’s gun and shooting them both down crosses her mind. Emily questions if she can draw the weapon fast enough to take out both guards. Yet, she ponders of this too long. 

“Hurry it up. We don’t got all day,” the sharp feminine calls out to her. 

Both guards hold onto Emily tightly as they nearly drag her out of her cell and down the long stretch of the prison halls. 

“Where are you taking me,” Emily questions sternly. 

“Just be quiet. You’ll see soon enough,” the bulky guard replies. His rolls his eyes at Emily’s comment but does not do anything else. 

It sets off alarms in the back her mind. Emily knows that this is more than likely a very bad sign. The air around her feels tense as she is walked down the tall hallway. A few other guards glance up briefly as she walks by them. Mocking smirks or bored expressions cover their faces. Though the former is seen more. Emily doesn’t bother to stare any of them down as she focuses on taking this opportunity to get a better look at the environment. Her memory is foggy but Emily recognizes the layout fairly. Though even with that knowledge it does not change the fact that the place is covered completely with guards. Almost every room and hallway has about two to three guards walking around. She knows that Coldridge has enough funding to keep inmates from trying to escape (even though there have been several successful breakouts before). They have clearly been slowly increasing security and Emily would have never known since she didn’t pay any mind to Coldridge before. Yet, the beefed up security is noticeable. Seeing several wall of lights and Arc Pylons scattered about the prison leaves little room for escape. It is a daunting sight but Emily would not allow this intimidation tactic to work.

Their grip is secure and far too tight to her liking. Granted she could easily escape their grasp and knock them unconscious. However too many questions run through her head. Where would she go? How can she escape the overall facility? Where would she acquire much need supplies such as food, water, tools, and weapons? Who would be willing to risk their life to help her out? Emily is more than well aware that many of those loyal to her have been slaughtered the day of the coup. She can plot all she wants but so many loopholes keeping coming to mind to the point to where she wonders if there is a way out of the dreadful situation. 

It’s a thought that tends to keep her from sleeping at night but forchantly not enough to riddle her middle every second with anxiety. She just constantly reminds herself that this situation can be mended and fix. She will reclaim what belongs to her and she will do it by any means necessary. She might currently be walking through the halls of Coldridge now but Emily is more than confident that she could come up with a proper plan of escape. No place is perfectly sealed of. She’s learned that from Corvo long ago. She tries to remember every placement as they take her down another hallway and finally to a door with a large, noticeable sign. The interrogation sign hangs on the wall in large print. It is almost as if the sign alone is meant to start intimidating those who find themselves unforchant enough to walk inside. Emily does not spend much time looking at the sign as she is escorted inside. 

The interrogation room is just as bad as she expected it to be. Even though it has been rebuilt a few years ago, the place is still beyond below her standards. Dried blood stains covering the ground can be seen even with the poor lighting. A bulb flickers gently as it is in desperate need of being replaced. However, Emily assumes that in another day or so it will simply go out on its own and never be replaced. A single chair sits in the middle of all that blood. It’s cold and rustic. Attached to the chair is cuffs that are meant to keep anyone from getting away. 

A desk remains in the back part of the room. It is covered with supplies, documents, alcohol, and an audiograph player. That seems to be the only appealing thing in this room as everything was dirty and smelled as if people have died in this room. Emily would bet every coin she has that people have died in the interrogation room. Sometimes the Royal Torturer would get a little too carried away and accidentally kill someone. They are probably hoping for her to crack despite her having absolutely nothing to do with Crown Killer. It won’t work but Emily knows they are still going to try. 

The awkward silence between Emily and the guards could be cut with a knife as they walk her to the chair. It dirty and covered in blood and sweat. Emily wonders if she could just request them to kill her now so that way she would not have to deal with sitting on such a seat. The dark joke crosses her mind right when she is shoved into the seat. The cuffs are clipped on to keep her from moving too much in her seat. It is thankfully not too tight but it is only because of her wrists not being as large compared to her fellow prisoners. It is still not comfortable but she could only imagine. 

“There you go,” the young female guard starts. “Sit tight, your Majesty. You will be seen shortly.” Her partner chuckles as he starts slowly making his away to the exit, not really bothering to fully check if Emily is securely tied down. The other guard turns to leave too. Emily takes the chance to try and test the cuffs. A few tugs against it tells her that she is stuck here. 

“Damn,” Emily curses. Before she could try and let out a sea of curse words, the door swings open. Reluctantly looking up, Emily can see Ramsey entering the room with full confidence. His boots are stomping on the cold floor. His presence alone is annoying. An aura of arrogance rubs off of him as he smiles upon seeing her. 

“Good to see you, Lady Emily. I’m sure you’ve found your stay here comfortable,” he comments mockingly. Ramsey looks at his captive before turning his back on her to move to the table across the room. His hand goes straight to one of the rum bottles sitting on the table. Emily pulls against the restraint to no avail. He slowly makes his way to the nearby desk in the back part of the room. Ramsey’s hands go straight to the rum on the table. He pours himself a drink slowly. The glass is filled to the top with the red liquid that Emily could only assume is some high end alcohol that most people would dream of drinking. Ramsey lifts his glass slowly despite the anticipation in his eyes for the drink. It might be the best drink he’s had in a decades. It is sweeter than most but not because of the content in it but because the former Empress is in his captivity. To him there is just something so deliciously appealing of the thought that this grand plan had worked out so well. If her hands were free she swear she would snap his neck in half and watch him bleed. The thought brings her hope for a time for when she could do such an action. 

However, Ramsey simply continues to ramble onwards. “Do not worry. You’re not going to be tortured like a common thug. After all, you are special,” Ramsey comments venomously. 

“Ramsey,” Emily starts. “Torture is far from my concern. I just didn’t think a man like you would turn on his own people for a higher position. Pathetic if you ask me.” She gives Ramsey a glare. 

He returns the look too but it slowly fades to a grin. Ramsey then laughs. He played his role well in the coup. There is no need for him to get mad and yell at her because he knows that he has the advantage. Emily is more than sure that he is reaping the benefits of it too. “I hope you’d have enough time to think because I’m a busy man now,” Ramsey states with a smug.

Out of habit, Emily tries to move her arms. “I actually have been thinking a lot. Though it is mostly how you and the Grand Guard are acting like street thugs.”

The glass gets nearly slammed back on the desk. “You’ve always did have an attitude about you. Though our true Empress won’t put up with it. If I were you, I’d get with the program before your trial date.” Ramsey moves away from the desk and starts making his way closer to Emily. “It would be unwise if you to anger those who will be prosecuting you.”

The threat does not come close to scaring Emily. She knows how people like Ramsey think. They are hot headed and easy to eliminate when given the opportunity. If it weren’t for the cuffs, Emily would choking the man to death right now. “Don’t act so high Ramsey. You’re nothing but a tool to Delilah and the Duke.”

He stands tall in front of her. “I played my role...and I played it damn well if you ask me. As much I enjoy chatting with you, I actually didn’t come for a simple visit. I was entrusted to ensure that you will cooperate in the coming hours of your trial.”

Her throat tightens quickly. However, the panicked emotions get shoved away quickly. Emily tells herself to remain calm as she leans into her chair as if she was pretending to look relax despite her restrained to it. “What are talking about?”

Ramsey does not look at all to be buying her act. The lighting in the room reflects off his face just enough to make him look dangerous. “With your trial coming up, I hope you are aware that you could be facing the death penalty. A lot of people want justice for what you and Attano did. You sure did a nasty number on your political opponents.” He smiles, probably fully aware that she had nothing to do with the murders. 

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Emily accuses. 

Ramsey throws his head back and laugh. He laughter echoes across the room. “And tell me Lady Emily, who is going to believe you?”

It true. No one will. She would need massive amount of proof and Emily is more than sure they won’t allow her to get it. They clearly want her out of the way. With no threat to the throne Delilah, and everyone beneath her, will get what they want. It sickens her. She should have learned this lesson a long time ago though. After all many people died, including her mother, just for the sake of power and greed. Now she is stuck in the same cycle and she isn’t sure how to get out. “Why are you doing this?”

“My family might have fallen from good grace but I’ll be damned if I don’t get it back. I don’t deserve to be spending my evenings standing around like a common guard. My family worked hard and all I had to show for was absolutely nothing. You wouldn’t understand,Lady Emily. You’ve got everything you ever wanted. How was that like? It must have been nice.” He looks down at her with a glare as he moves in far too close to her liking. 

“You really are insane Ramsey. I had nothing to do with your family losing its status.”

 

He takes a step back. With a shrug of his shoulders, Ramsey Appears to be calming down as he reaches into the inner parts of his coat pocket. A solid black pen enters into his hand. “Regardless, I'm taking what is rightfully mine. It is kind of the running theme around here, is it not? Empress Delilah took back her rightful place as ruler and we all benefit. The only loser in this game is you, I’m afraid.” He points the pen at her and reaches into his pocket once more. 

 

Emily shakes her head at him. “You helped a coup for greed. There’s no justifying that.” 

He laughs lightly before removing a rolled up piece of paper from his pocket. It unreal son his hand quickly as Emily looks at curiously. “I don’t think you realize how good you got it, Lady Kaldwin. Right now, if you were anyone else, I’d have you tortured until you confess to your crimes. However, I’m not going to do that. Here is what’s going to happen, you are going to take this pen and then you going to sign this paper right here.”

He hold the paper up to her.before Wmily could even get a good look at the printed text the pen is placed in her restricted hand. Despite not liking the idea. She clings tightly to the pen. “I’m not signing anything. You’re just as dumb as you look if you’d think I’d sign anything you’d give me.”

“I believe you are misunderstanding the position you are in. This paper is getting signed by you whether you like it or not. I was told to make sure you do it and I get my work done Lady Emily. So we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It’s up to you. So what’s it going to be?” The smug expression on his face eats at her and in the back of her mind she has already made up her mind. There is no way in hell she is going sign that paper. Even as it is laid out in front of her she knows better than to sign something as incrimiating as this. Glancing through the paper, Emily can tell she would be signing her life away. On the very top of the paperwork is titled “confession” along with a lengthy paragraph of legal information. 

Keywords and phrases stick out to her such as murder, admitting to guilt, pardoning, and deranged. They plan to make her the villain even though she was probably the main victim in all this mess. It only fuel her with anger. Emily wonders how these people could easily ruin someone else life so easily. “You sign this and Empress Delilah would be so merciful to you and pardon you for your role in the Crown Killer’s murders.” His voice sounds too relax. Ramsey is probably more than sure Emily would play along once hearing that she could walk out of this alive. 

Emily isn’t a fool. Politicians can lie. It would be easy for her to sign the paperwork and still kill her. Why they haven’t done so now is something she is trying to figure out. “And why would she do that,” Emily questions back. Her knuckles are almost turning white from holding onto the pen. What she would give if she could stab him in the neck with it. 

“Does it matter? You’ll live at the end of the day if you just play along.”

“If you think that I’m going to take the blame for the murders then you’re dead wrong, Ramsey. I’m not signing the confession.” She shakes his head at him. 

A glare is given to her. “I honestly do not care if you live or die. The problem here is the Empress wants you to sign this. So you are going to sign this.” Ramsey’s tone darkens. He looks annoyed and Emily swear that this man is short tempered. 

“Here’s a different suggestion,” Emily starts. She hold the pen as best she can for him to see. “you can take your pen and shove it up your ass.” With a flick of a wrist she tosses it to him. The pen bounces of his chest and quickly land on the floor. 

He reaches out and grabs the front of her coat. The action is rough and Emily tenses. Her wrists rub tight against the cuffs as her instincts kick in. She wants to swipe away from him and punch him dead center in the face. They were wise to have her tied down or else she would have given Ramsey a deserving beating. 

“You think you are funny and cute but you are far from it, Lady Emily. Sign it. You are wearing my penitence very thin.” His eyes look wild. Ramsey is used to getting his way and now he has Emily resisting him. This was supposed to be the easy part. 

“No,” replies Emily sternly. 

Without hesitation, Ramsey shoved Emily back into her chair. The action is more annoying than anything. It startles her when her back is slammed back into the seat. She could only wonder what others had to endure in this chair. Actual beatings and proper torture methods have surely occurred in this very room. By the look in Ramsey’s eyes, it would only be a matter of time before he loses his patience and tries to use similar methods towards her.

“We have ways of making you play along. I can promise you that.”


	4. The Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends sometime come from strange places.

Ramsey looks far from pleased. His frowned brow shows years of usage that probably came from commanding young guards. Emily would believe it if the guy hates anyone a few years younger than him. He probably imagines them as incompetent and reckless. Emily could tell the man always did have minor agitation towards her that was always subtle. His words were always polite but there were sometimes light annoyed sighs at the end of his sentences. The way he sometimes hesitates in addressing her by her title has even stuck out to her on a few occasions. Granted Emily never placed too much thought into it. She just assumed that was just his personality to always appear borderline agitated. She would have never expected him to go to such extreme to help in her overthrow. Yet, here he stands before her. With hot anger as he realizes that Emily will not cooperate and sign the paperwork to admit her own guilt.

"This is your last chance," he warns. "Sign it." 

Emily stays quiet. There is not much more she wants to say to him and instead gives him the silent treatment. After three seconds of quiet, Emily can see Ramsey turning red in the face. In a quick motion he reaches out to her tied down right hand. The pen is snatched away from her quickly and Emily thinks that is the end of that. He shoves the pen in his coat pocket once more before bending down to get a better look at Emily. They glare at each other for a solid five second, neither one of them wanting to back down. However, in another split second Ramsey reaches out to Emily’s hand and before she could react, he snaps her pinky finger in two. The cracking of bone is distinctive and disgusting. It’s loud and a shock wave of pain runs through her. It hurts just as much as anyone would expect it too. “Fuck!” Emily curses. Her instincts to pull away shoots through her, but she is limited by the restraints of the chair. She wants to grab her broken finger and nurse it but it still remains impossible with her hands still cuffed to the seat. Though it still does not stop her from trying to pull away every once in a while. Emily has no clue how Corvo dealt with such violent acts for months after he was framed for murder. She knows he never liked talking about those times and so it was always forgotten in conversations. Deep down she knows that her father has been through far worst. Granted, it is not the first time she got injured. There were plenty of times in her teenage youth that she got hurt from training accidents that left Corvo worrying about her as if she was a kid again. Yet, a clear attempt of someone trying to hurt her is something out of the norm. Ramsey seems to have a bad habit of getting a few cheap shots in. First there was the hard punch to the face when he tried to stop Emily from helping her father right as he was being caste to stone. At the time Ramsey landed that hard hit to Emily after she landed a punch on his face for trying to stop her. Though they both know that she can not fight back now. Being at his complete will is probably something Ramsey is enjoying too much for his own good. There is a disturbing smile on his face as he watches her trying to remain calm be the sudden aggressive act. 

“So about signing that paperwork…” Ramsey starts. 

“Weren’t you just bragging about not torturing me,” she spits back out to him. The pain is running through her and all she could do is give him an ugly look. She does not even want to looked at her injured finger, but she could feel it twitching in pain against her own will.

“Oh I didn’t do anything. You simply got hurt from tripping on the ground and landing wrong,” Ramsey comments without a care. Though even if it was a clear lie, Emily is more than sure no one would actually care. If they cared about her she would not even be in such a mess. This is just the cruel attitude that plenty of people in her territory carries. 

 

“You’re gonna pay for this Ramsey.” She threatens him. 

He shrugs his shoulders, almost not believing her. The coup was a success and they had Emily in captivity. What else did he have to fear? Everything is falling into place perfectly and he is going to take complete advantage of the moment. This is his one and only chance to do as he please without facing any consequence. He could speak however he wants to the former Empress and do whatever he wants without a care in the world. By the looks of it, Ramsey is going to take full advantage of it. He lets out a quick laughter. “I highly doubt that. I’ll only say it onc-“ The door from the hallway slams open. The metal on metal sound is loud as the door bashes into the wall. It is enough to break Ramsey’s cocky attitude as he looks up annoyed at the interruption. A guard stands by the door, out of Emily’s sight. The young guard coughs nervous as his weak voice speaks up. 

“Uh, sir?” A guard interrupts. 

“What is it? I’m clearly busy here.” Ramsey snaps back. A sigh soon follows and he slowly marches away from Emily. His boots echo against the walls as he takes his time to take a few steps closer to the door. Even if Emily tries to stretch to see what is going on, there is no way for her to do so. Though even if she can not get a good look at what is going on, Emily could bet that their new guest is just a low ranking guard who is new. His lack of confidence in his voice is obvious and the poor guy was probably sent by his coworkers to ask for Ramsey. Sending the new guys to run errands is normally the way things are done. 

“There is something that needs your attention immediately,” the guard replies vaguely. He takes a nervous glance between Emily and Ramsey. 

“Fine then. We’ll just leave our guest here overnight. She has nowhere to go anyways,” Ramsey comments loudly as he walks to the exit. "Sleep tight Lady Emily. We will continue this tomorrow." The guard doesn’t reply as they both walk out and slam the door behind them. Emily sighs in relief. She is annoyed to be stuck but grateful that the man decided to leave her alone for a while. She is sure Ramsey will keep his promise and arrive once more the next day. Knowing him he would back before sunrise to brag once more about his newly gained status. Emily does not personally see him as a major threat but more of a buzzing fly. Hell, even bloodflies are more dangerous than Ramsey. If she had a free hand than she would be able to escape and teach him a lesson. Emily carefully tugs again at the cuffs keeping her to the chair. By how tight it is, there is no way she is going to get out with just pulling herself out of it alone. She half considers breaking her own wrist to wiggle her way out but it would not do her any good to be that severally hurt. Emily would still have to navigate out of Coldridge and that will more than likely include getting into a fight or two. There must be a better and smarter way to go about this.

She ponders over this for possibly several hours. Ramsey was not joking when he said he would leave her there overnight. It doesn’t take long as time passes that she falls asleep where she is at. It is still an uncomfortable sleep. When has the last night she got a good night's rest? It’s starting to give her a headache. The lack of proper sleep is also irritating her to no end that Emily would probably snap at the next person that even looks at her funny. Though the quiet quietness of the building, besides the occasional screaming from the hallway every once in a while, is enough to put Emily to sleep. Normally sleep is a time to recover and rest. However this isn’t the case. The moment Emily closes her eyes, she feels as if she is somewhere else. The surrounding air is different and there is a weight of an odd presence around her. It isn’t long before she opens her eyes and finds herself no longer in the interrogation room. Nor is she also in Coldridge prison. Emily is sure she is not on the same plain of existence anymore. She almost doesn’t want to believe her very eyes when she finds herself standing at the center of nothingness and everything. Normally she would assume she is insane but she remembers the stories and tales. 

“This...must be the Void,” Emily tells herself. She’s almost lost for breath. Never has she seen such a sight. Floating lands and endless pits of space surround her. Yet, what catches her attention the most is the manifestation of a being happening before her. The figure is someone Emily has never seen before but could easily guess who he is. The Outsider. Wearing dark clothes and black eyes, Emily knows that the Outsider is far from human. A mysterious person that wanders throughout the Void. He grants gifts to those he views deserving or what he thinks would be entertaining. Her father, Corvo has told her stories of him. She knows they have met on several occasions and Emily is partially surprise to actually see the being right in front of her. He looks more human than what she expected. By the countless warnings and fears of the Overseeers, Emily would have assumed the Outsider would look more like a beast than of a man.

“Empress Emily Kaldwin," the Outsider starts. Swirls of magic floats around him as if it leaks from him. "or is it former Empress now that Delilah has stole the throne. We haven’t met before and I’m honestly surprise it’s come to this. Though Delilah has always been one to crawl back from the never ending Void to get what she wants. She is persistent like that.” He wags his finger as if he is almost scolding himself for not seeing this line up perfectly. 

“You’re the Outsider,” Emily states off topic. She is still trying to fully comprehend everything that is happening.

He nods his head, almost proud that she guessed right. “I am, and I am here to grant you a gift. A gift that might be enough to help you turn the tides against Delilah.” His voice is dark and almost inhuman. There is a lingering tone of darkness and maybe even evil. Emily does not know how to feel about interacting with such an unholy supernatural being. His intentions can not be pure if all does is sit around and allow such horrible events to occur throughout the lands. Though it all sound tempting. Her father has the Outsider's gifts and he became unstoppable until running into Delilah. She knows she needs this. This could be the advantage she needs.

“What do you want in return," she asks. There must be a catch after all.

He shrugs his shoulders as if he has yet to think it through. “As of now, nothing. I’m just curious as to what are you willing to do to get back your throne?”

“Anything,” Emily replies too quick. 

The Outsider gives a light smile. It’s the perfect answer to him. Many will hesitate but she does not. It shows bravery, determination, and stupidity. Everything comes at a cost and for now Emily understands she just agreed to a contract that she did not even bothered to read, let alone glance at the fine print. Yet, she recognizes the dangers of what she is doing. Taking up the Mark of the Outsider is a foolish action, but with an entire government ready to cut her down, she has no choice. She knows that Corvo took up the same Mark and he ended up alright. (Ignoring the fact that he is currently caste away in stone) Corvo acquired skills and powers very few mortals gain and in return he was able to save her and the land from corruption. So why shouldn’t Emily accept such a gift too? 

“As you wish then,” the Outsider replies coldly. Despite his voice remaining monotonous, there is a spark of interest in his eyes. He must already know that granting her such gifts would be entertaining, not just for him, but for the world. “Take my Mark and use it to how you see fit. I will be watching to see what you will do with it. Will you use these new found skills to show mercy or will you pave the streets with blood? Do remember, all your actions have consequences.” The Mark burns as it appears on her flesh. It sinks deep into her skin and the sensation is none like any other. Emily finds herself flinching at the pain when it courses through her hand. “It burns,” Emily complains quietly mostly to herself. She can feel it in her. The burning runs down deep to center of her bones and ever nerve in her hand wants to twitch away from the pain. As the Mark glows in her skin, a small flurry of aura shines around her hand. Emily looks at it in amazement until the glowing fades away and leaves her stained with a black brand on her hand. 

The Outsider grins, almost mischievously. It should have been a warning sign to Emily but she only focuses on the thought of gaining new found powers and abilities. Emily has heard much of what the Outsider’s abilities could do. Corvo might have restrained himself using his abilities to its full potential but she won’t. Corvo always expressed extreme caution when using such powers and would normally try to not use them. He might have succeeded in his mission to save Emily all those years ago, but he can not help her now.

With that, the Outsider disappears in a smoke of black. Trails of smoke lingers in the air but it does not stay for much longer. All traces of the Outsider vanish from the air and she is left alone in the Void. The place is nothing as she would have imagined to be but it is how Corvo described it to her on many occasions. It is still surreal. Everything is offset and almost nonexistent. Emily would gladly believe this to be a dream but everything feels too real. The pain burning flesh is distinctive. This can not be a dream and maybe a part of her is grateful it is not because it only means that this new gift is real. Look around Emily reaches out for a higher ground with her marked hand. She could already feel the power coursing through her as a tendril shoots out her hand and attaches itself to the desired location. Within seconds Emily is nearly flying through the air with her powers. Far Reach. Landing on her two feet gracefully. She is starting to become more and more grateful for all that training she went through with Corvo. Emily continues her travel through the cold place of the Void. Everything is suspending in time. It is almost someone took the world from different times and shoved them together to create a makeshift story of the events that Emily has never seen. She feels as though she is looking through time and maybe in a way she is. There Delilah sitting on her throne. Though to Emily’s surprise there is no smug express on her face the moment the world caught a snapshot of her. Instead there is a look of thought. It is almost as if step one was complete and more is to come. Emily is not sure what this could mean. Delilah already took the throne. What more could she want?

Emily does not linger around. Instead she continues onward through the Void. To her surprise, the place is fairly calm. There is almost no sound except her boots hitting the ground. It feels good to be free again even if this place is no way to properly escape the real world and all its problems. After all, that always seems to be how Emily tries to handle her issues. Sneaking off into the dead of night in hopes to feel normal. She would fantasize a normal life with both of her parents alive and well. Now she moves about quickly in what feels like another dimension as she just accepted powers from a dangerous source. She tries not to think about it as she comes across of what appears to be a pedestal.

Emily stops to look at the peculiar object on it. “What is that,” she questions herself. Emily sees what looks to be a heart. It beat very slowly as it glows. She knows better than to pick up strange objects up but she knows she is in far too deep with this. Selling yourself to the Outsider is probably one of the worst things a person can do and Emily already did that a few moments ago. Yet, a beating heart is something beyond what she expected to see in the Void. This place truly is another world of its own. Emily still finds herself reaching out grabbing onto the beating heart. It fits perfectly in her hand. It is almost as if it was meant for her. Lifting it up, Emily notices it starts to glow instantly. Bright lights flash as a familiar voice calls out to her. Her mother. Oh, how she misses her mother. If Emily ever had a doubt that this is all fake it would be now. A glowing aura of her mother floats right in front of her. It puts much weight on Emily's heart. She always found her mother's passing to be something hard for her to get over and to see a ghost like figure in front of her, shakes her to the core. She looks just as she remembers. Emily reaches out but knows she can not touch her. Even moving a few inches Emily can not feel anything from the glowing spirit of her mother. Emily feels in a daze as her mother speaks to her. It is hard to pay attention as she does her best to keep it together. Though Emily has so many questions, but before she knows it, her mother is gone once more. Just as quickly as Emily as her, she was gone.

The Heart remains still in Emily's hand as she stares off into the direction she just saw her mother in. However, Emily turns to the side for a moment and is almost startled when the Heart starts beating when pointed in a certain direction. Emily losses concentration with the sight of her mother and looks down at the Heart in her hand. Looking off to the side she expects to see her mother once more and maybe in a desperate attempt to see her again, Emily follows the the beating Heart. However, it takes her in front of something else. A round tablet like object on a slab of rock. A ruine. She recognizes it easily. She has seen it in books and in the hands of Overseers who confiscated them from citizens. Holding a ruine in her very hands feels right. Emily does not have much time to admire it as the soft sound of the Outsider appearing next to her catches her attention. She looks up as he stands before her once more. He must really enjoy having attention.

“Unlike so many people,” he starts “Delilah is far too cunning and skilled for her own good. She will drag down any person in her way and slit throats to get what she wants. That is exactly what she did. I would admit, she played the game smart. Years of plotting she finally succeeded in taking the entire kingdom from you without you ever seeing it coming.” He smiles as he paces about. It is almost as if can not stay still for two seconds. Emily stays quiet as she listens to him. There is not much she could add. What he says is true. Delilah did play this game right but Emily knows she could be just as cunning. Maybe the Outsider knows that too. He stops moving for a moment to look at her directly in the eyes before telling her one final comment. “But I will let you in on a little secret. Delilah has much greater plot that will surely change so much of the world if no one stops her.”


	5. Price of Your Greed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With new powers, Emily finds herself with the advantage now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I was nearly done with this chapter, I ended up losing the entire file and wasn’t able to recover it. Though I was able to rewrite this. I was just a bit heart broken to lose it. Then mid Friday, I had a family emergency that prevented me from uploading. It was almost as if there was some force that was trying to stop this week's upload. So sorry it is super short. Next one will be pretty long though. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

When awakening, Emily is unsure of what she experienced was a dream or not. Even though the Void felt real to the touch, and she’s heard countless tales, to experience it herself is completely different. Part of her wants to believe every second of it. Though opening her eyes back up in the investigation room, and seeing no one around, Emily starts to have doubt. She is ready to let out a sigh until she looks down at her hand. Her heart beats just a little bit faster when she catches sight of the highly noticeable Mark on her hand. The deep black brand stands our completely against the back of her hand. Yet, instead of fear for the fact that she took up supernatural powers from the Outsider, it is relief. She understands the severity of it. The Outsider has always been in the negative eye to the public and supports of the Abbey of the Everyman. 

However, Emily has never really been one to care of such things. Part of it is because of her father receiving the Mark several years ago and turned out well. Maybe better than well. Corvo was always a highly praised man until the Crown Killer started scaring the public. It all gives her some confidence that she made the right choice in taking up the Mark. 

Even with her hands strained against the tight cuffs of the chair, Emily feels the powers of the Void running through. It’s dark and maybe too cold for her liking, it is probably the only thing bringing her comfort right now. With these powers, she could do something about Delilah. Emily is not sure how long she was in the Void. Though she is more than sure hours have passed at least. Tiny bits of light creeps into the investigation room from a tiny window near the top of the wall. The minor light could easily be missed if it weren’t for the fact that Emily happened to look up in that corner. Last she checked, it was getting dark when she entered the room and now the sun is rising. It would explain why her joints feels stiff and strained as she has yet the opportunity to stretch her legs. Just thinking about it makes her try to stretch but it is impossible to do so. She sighs in annoyance.

The door to the room opens up once more. Heavy boots stomp into the room and Emily can already guess who it is. Looking to her side, she sees Ramsey waltzing up to her once more. A cocky face is still on him and Emily wants to dispose of it now.

“You’re up," he starts. "Good. Good. I hope you’ve rethought things through, Lady Emily. I would not want you to get hurt again.” He laughs lightly and gestures to her injured finger. Emily has almost forgotten about it. It still stings actually and is clearly swollen. The minor discoloration tells her that she is going to need to get it checked soon or else she might have to deal with a minor infection. She does not want such a petty thing to slow her down in her quest to regain her throne. Emily takes a deep breath at the comment and thought her next words through. This is her only chance to make her escape. She needs to play this well.

“I actually have thought it through Ramsey, and you’re right. I should just sign the paperwork.” Emily almost hates herself for even saying those words. Granted, she will not actually agree to anything that they want but it still stings to play along. Even he looks surprised. Yet, he reminds composed and nods his head happily.

“Ah! Good to hear you finally have come to your sense. I was worried I was going to have to request the Royal Torturer here. I believe you will find cooperation a much better solution, Lady Emily.”

She stays quiet. All Emily does is open to her unbranded hand as a way to ask for a pen. 

Ramsey removes a pen out of his coat pocket as well as the paperwork. He almost looks too happy as he points the pen at her to get. Emily reaches out and exaggerated when the cuffs keep her tied down. 

“I need my hand free if you want me to sign that,” Emily mutters. Her voice sounds almost defeated and she knows it is probably what Ramsey wants. 

He smirks before reaching out and uncuffing her right hand. It’s tempting to reach out and choke the man to death right then and there. Though she holds back her twitching hand. Ramsey gives her the pen with her free and Emily takes it. Before Ramsey could push the paper towards her. Emily drops the pen in her hands purposely. She tries not to make the action too obvious. She allows the pen to casually slip out of her hand and land on the floor. 

“Oops,” Emily says innocently. 

Ramsey sighs in annoyance, but doesn’t say anything. Instead he bends down to pick it up. While midway through the action, Ramsey leaves himself fully exposed to Emily. With her free hand she uppercuts the man right on the jaw. Ramsey does not even see it coming as he falls back instantly. Minor blood flies in the air that makes Emily assume came from Ramsey probably biting his tongue when Emily uppercuts him. He lets out a cry in pain and it buys Emily enough time to turn to her other side to unlock her tied down hand. With one hand free, it is easy for her to unclamp her one trapped hand. They don’t really lock them, just closes the cuffs enough to get a person not to undo it themselves. However, Ramsey made the one fatal mistake in believing that Emily would play along. Emily frees herself completely from the chair. All while, Ramsey is floored for a moment when realizing he fell for a trap and sees Emily is completely free. Their eyes meet while Emily jumps out of the chair. Ramsey takes his sword out as he stumbles to get to his feet properly. As he tries to get his balance, Emily swings at him again. He regains his footing and dodges the attack. 

Ramsey pulls out a sword that Emily recognizes. It folds out in a swift motion and clicks into place. Her father’s sword looks wrong in Ramsey’s hand and Emily has the need to take it from him. 

He swings the sword at her with fury. Even though he looks mad, Ramsey keeps a cool exterior. His training is preventing him from making foolish attacks. Even with such skills, Emily dodged the attack barely. The air around her is cut cleanly by Ramsey’s blade and she knows that she would have easily lost her head if she didn’t move fast enough. 

“Stand down, Lady Emily. You can not win!” Ramsey spits out and he swings again. There is bitterness in his voice but mostly disbelief that he got tricked by someone half his age. He needs to catch her before anyone gets word of this. It will look very poorly on him if Delilah finds out he let her niece get out for a couple of minutes. Emily shouldn’t be that hard to maintain after all. She is supposed to be a powerless royal. Yet, it is his underestimation that got him in this place to begin with. 

Emily doesn’t respond back him. She focuses on the fight as she dodges another attack. Ramsey is quicker than most but training with Corvo proves to be effective for Emily. She can easily spot where he is going to swing and is able to avoid any contact. She reaches out with her Marked hand and aims behind Ramsey. She is far from used to using the powers of the Outsider, but she does not have a lot of time to practice more with it. She trusts herself enough to use it correctly. Luckily, her basic training in the Void provided to be enough. Her aim is correct as she uses her Far Reach powers to appear behind Ramsey in less than a second. Emily lands on her feet with ease while Ramsey is beyond startled. His eyes almost big out of his head as he tries to turn around to look at her.

“How did you do that?!” He calls out to her. 

She smirks, knowing to have caught him off guard and wraps her arm around his neck to choke him. She tightens her choke hold on Ramsey quickly to try and knock the man out. 

He realizes what she is trying to do and elbows her in the stomach as a way to escape. It works. Emily loosens her grip enough, due to the blow, to have the wind knocked out of get. She releases Ramsey long enough for him to turn around to attack her once more. At this Emily takes a step to put distance between them. The hit hurts but Emily would complain about it later. For now, she focuses on surviving this encounter. 

“You foolish, girl! Why do you have to make things so complicated?!” Ramsay yells at her when gabing the blade towards her. Emily uses the Void powers once more avoid the attack. She doesn’t move too far from Ramsey. Instead, she only positions herself to just avoid the attack. Emily makes sure she is still close enough to Ramsey as she now makes her move to attack. She plants a solid punch on Ramsey’s right eye quickly enough to make him take a step back. He flinches long enough for Emily to reach out and pull her Corvo’s sword from his hands. Ramsey tries not to let it go. His hands hold onto it tightly but Emily wants it so much more. She yanks the blade away with her hand wrapped right against the sword. It is a dangerous move. She can feel the sword starting to cut into her skin as she yanks the sword away one more time. Her own blood starts to drip slowly from her hand.

She doesn’t want to pay attention to it. It definitely hurts but her adrenaline rush masks the pain enough for her to get away with the action. It works. Emily yanks the sword out of Ramsey’s hand and she fixes her positioning right away. 

Ramsey reaches for his side gun once noticing that he no longer has the sword in his possession. His opponent is armed now and Ramsey is starting to realize how much of a threat Emily really is. It’s too late for him though. He already sealed his fate because by the time his hands grazed against his gun, Emily shoves the sword right through Ramsey’s torso. It cuts cleanly through his clothes and flesh. The sword cuts deep into Ramsey’s chest and there is a split second where fear covers his face. It is the same reaction anyone would give when they realized their plan is going to fail. All his hard work and betrayal ends with a blade to his chest and death lingering over him. It almost brings Emily comfort to see such an expression. There is something about that feels right and it is mostly because she knows that he is finally getting what he deserves. Yet, anger quickly engulfs his eyes as he reaches out to pull the sword from his chest. The soldier fighting spirit is still in him after all. Emily of all people know that Ramsey would not go down without a fight. The man is brutal and greedy. He would step on some many corpses to get what he wants, and in fact that was what he did when he allowed the Duke and Delilah into the throne room. 

“Sorry, Ramsey but you’re through now. You picked the wrong side this time,” Emily tells him coldly. 

Yet, even as he tries to survive the attack from Emily, it is too late for him. He is able to pull the sword out of him a few inches, but Emily yanks it out with ease. Blood sprays by the sudden motion and it is enough to distract Ramsey long enough for Emily to swing the sword once more. This time she aims for the neck. The blade cuts through him like butter as he flesh gets torn apart. He tries for a moment to protect his neck with his hands but the piercing blade is light and therefore too fast for even a trained veteran such as himself. The sword once again forces him to bleed out more until Ramsey is left to fall over on his back. Emily keeps a grip on the sword and pulls it out of him as his back hit the ground.

He starts grasping his own neck as if he is trying to stop himself from bleeding out. A pool of blood starts to form around him as he stares up at the ceiling with wide eyes. There is almost a petrified face on him and Emily is partial glade that she gets to see. She knows that many of her loyal people carried the exact same expression when they were caught off guard by the coup. They cried and had begged for mercy but it was never shown to them. So why should Emily show it to Ramsey? The man is scum to her. She can not bring herself to feel bad for him even as he starts choking on his own blood. Within seconds, his movements start to slow down while he continues to stare up with a frozen expression stuck to his face.

Emily knows she should be rushing out of the building now. However, she takes this moment to enjoy the fact that Ramsey is slowly meeting his end. She feels like she deserves this at least. It makes her feel slightly better considering the situation she is in. As Ramsey now lays dead, eyes still wide open, Emily debates for a moment what to do with the body. Leaving him out in the open would only eventually cause suspicion of her escape too soon. Moving him to a more hidden location seems like the best choice for her. Emily allows her father’s sword to fold up as she hides it in her coat. She almost does not want to look at the weapon now. It hurts to look at it because it is the closest thing she has to remind her of her father right now. She never thought she would be using it in such a manner without him around. Though she is just partially glad that it is no longer in Ramsey’s hands. The man was barely worth getting stabbed by it, let alone holding it. Regardless, Emily is grateful to have it back. Now she is armed with a proper weapon and powers of the Outsider. If there is any good moment for her to get out of Coldridge, it would be now. There will not be another chance to get out. 

She rushes to pick up Ramsey quickly. The man is not too heavy, and she is able to pick him up without much trouble. All that training finally paid off for her apparently as she takes his corpse to the back part of the interrogation room. She tries to move quick to stop his blood from getting everywhere. Though Emily is more than sure that if someone sees so much blood in the room that they would not think twice about it. After all, many people are tortured beyond recognition in this very room. Blood stains all over the room naturally and it is because of that, that no one would go looking for Ramsey instantly upon seeing the blood. They will just think it was just some poor sap was getting a good beating. 

Emily takes Ramsey’s body behind the desk. It is large enough for her to shove his body under it. No one should notice it unless they were to look directly under. However, she doubts anyone will find it within an hour. Emily only needs a few minutes to escape and the time is ticking down now. It will not be long before someone notices Ramsey is missing. She rummages through his pockets in hopes to find something useful on him. A gun is clipped to the side of his pants. She takes and loads it up. Only two bullets left and he does not appear to be carrying any more on him. It is better than nothing but she wished the man was more equipped. Emily then goes through his pockets. No keys. Makes sense. The man did not work at Coldridge. He was only visiting to antagonize and get her to sign a false confession. Though this will only make her escape harder. She would need to steal the keys from someone else and avoid detecting from all forms of security. This is no longer a training ground. Emily understands that any false move would more than likely result her in getting killed. 

She quickly runs towards the exit of the interrogation room. It’s sealed shut but she knows on the other side will be her true test. Ramsey was only the pawn. There are much more dangerous players in this game, but Emily feels confident to challenge them this time.

**Author's Note:**

> So I am mostly writing this story for fun. If you ever want to support me, I do take writing commissions and paypal donations. (All that info is on my page) If not just leave a kudo and/or comment! I'd love to hear what y'all think. :)


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